Leesburg to honor veterans on large scale

LEESBURG -- It's envisioned as a tribute to Lake County's veterans, the likes of which has never been seen in this area.

At about 7 feet tall and a colossal 2,800 square feet, the Veterans Memorial at Fountain Park is poised to be one of the largest veterans monuments in the Southeast.

They've got the land, the plans and the ambition. Now all organizers need is the money to get it built. But even that, when charitable dollars are hard to come by, isn't worrisome to the war veterans putting this together.

Don Van Beck, a Tavares resident and Korean War veteran, said he knows the local community will quickly donate the estimated $525,000 needed to build the granite structure. Organizers expect it will be completed by November 2009.

"It's really just a monument for all of the people who served," Van Beck said. "This is something that will go on forever."

Plans for the memorial have quietly been in the works for about three months. Van Beck, 80, said he and fellow members of the Lake County Korean War Veterans Association Chapter 169 in Leesburg initially decided to make a memorial for Korean War veterans. After more brainstorming, the group decided the memorial should commemorate all veterans.

Leesburg Mayor John Christian said the city is thrilled to have the monument near City Hall. It's likely to draw visitors from across the region, he said.

"It shows the commitment we have for the veterans," Christian said. "I think it's a great project for the city and the county."

Weeks ago, Leesburg city officials donated property behind City Hall, just north of Main Street at Fountain Lake Park. Tests have been done on the land to ensure it could handle the weight of the 169,000-pound structure. The memorial is expected to be about 60 feet in diameter and engraved with about 30,000 names of Lake County war veterans. Van Beck said it would be one of the biggest veterans memorials in this part of the country.

An artist rendering shows an X-type configuration, allowing visitors to walk around it and view the names. Plans call for a computer kiosk to allow visitors to look up names. It would be flanked with 12,500 engraved granite bricks, lit at night and surrounded by security cameras

The main structure would hold the names of war veterans, from the Mexican Border conflict in 1916 through current wars. Names can be included on the walls for free while the surrounding bricks, reserved for people who were in the service, can be purchased for $60.

"The people on the walls will have been in the wars," Van Beck said. "The people on the bricks will have been in the service, not necessarily the wars."

The group hopes that, once completed, the monument would be updated with new names twice a year.

In the meantime, though, organizers are focused on fundraising and starting construction by April 15. They opened an office at 600 Market St., the former Leesburg Post Office building, and are looking for volunteers who can help identify qualified veterans.

Van Beck said he's not overly concerned about raising the funds because it's a worthy project that locals will surely buy into.

"People have a soft spot in their hearts," he said. "The older people realize and appreciate what the veterans have done."

For more information about the project, visit lakeveterans.com or call 352-314-2100.